Kaaphuli, phaanu and jhangore ki kheer will soon be on every one's lips. The traditional and popular Uttarakhandi cuisines - so far confined to the kitchens of native food lovers - will figure in the carte du jour of government-run guesthouses and tourist bungalows.

In the face of opposition to big hydropower projects from environmentalists, the Uttarakhand government has notified a new policy that promises to give preference to local communities while setting up micro and mini hydropower projects.

The Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) is planning to conduct an "intensive survey" to identify and penalise house tax evaders who are causing a loss of nearly Rs 1.5 crore annually to the civic body, officials said on Wednesday.

Political parties are maintaining a studied silence on the issue of raising the OBC quota in government jobs as the issue had once triggered the long-drawn agitation that culminated with the creation of Uttarakhand in 2000.